


All I Ask of You

by athletiger



Series: Stony at the Theatre [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Musical, Fluff and Smut, Getting Together, M/M, Oblivious Tony Stark, Peggy Carter (mentioned) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-27 14:46:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17163950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/athletiger/pseuds/athletiger
Summary: Tony’s in his set design class whenhewalks in.He’s a six feet blond sex goddess, blue shirt straining over his pecs and chest. Despite his bulky and larger-than-life size, he has the walk of a dancer, confident and light on his feet.“Who is that?” Tony asks Pepper.Pepper looks over from where she’s lettering on one of the other glass panels. “That’stheSteve Rogers, Tony,” Pepper hisses. “Junior, darling of the theatre department. He’s already been casted as the understudy inDear Evan Hansenon Broadway. Everyone knows him. Where have you been?"Where has he been indeed.





	All I Ask of You

**Author's Note:**

> Excuse me while I transition from British slang to American slang. I used both spellings in this fic, I'm sure. Fic's a prequel to Espresso-Patronum's "Dick on Standby" to show you how Tony and Steve met. (Also thanks to Espresso for beta-ing). Hope you enjoy it!

BEGIN ACT 1

ACT 1 SCENE 1

Tony’s in his set design class when _he_ walks in.

He’s a six feet blond sex goddess, blue shirt straining over his pecs and chest. Despite his bulky and larger-than-life size, he has the walk of a dancer, confident and light on his feet. Tony stares at the piercing azure eyes and strong jawline as the guy greets his Teacher Assistant with a smile.

“Sam!” Blonde and Beautiful calls out. But fuck, his _voice_ drips with honey too.

Sam is sitting on a stool off to the side, hunched over a stack of papers, and he looks up when he hears his name. When he sees him, he grins. “Hey Steve!”

Suddenly, there’s a sharp pain in his side. Tony jolts out of his daze to look at Rhodey who’s giving him a critical eye and jerks his head towards the set piece Tony’s working on. He looks down to see the extra-long, extra-dark pen mark on the glass that is to become one of the hanging glass panels for _Hamlet_.

“Oops,” Tony sheepishly says, rubbing over the permanent marker mark with the side of his hand. It only makes the smear worse and puts a black mark on his hand. Pepper sighs before she tosses him a wet cloth. Tony accepts it gratefully and wipes the smear away before he looks back up again to see “Steve” still chatting away amicably with Sam.

Steve’s whole body is alight with charisma and happiness, and his strong hands make motions in the air as he talks. “Who is that?” Tony asks Pepper.

Pepper looks over from where she’s lettering on one of the other glass panels. “That’s _the_ Steve Rogers, Tony,” Pepper hisses. “Junior, darling of the theatre department. He’s already been casted as the understudy in _Dear Evan Hansen_ on Broadway. _Everyone_ knows him. Where have you been?”

Tony shrugs. It’s Rhodey who says, “Probably been in his workshop, working on set designs.”

“Obviously, if you don’t know who he is.” Pepper rolls her eyes. “He’s a legend around here.”

“’sreallyhot,” Tony mumbles, ducking his head down to his set piece but doesn’t immediately return to his work. He’s still thinking about the guy ten feet away, dreaming about those strong muscles that could perhaps hold him up.

He also probably has a lot of girls pining for him too.

Rhodey hears him anyway and gives him a shit-eating grin. “Aw, does the baby freshman have a _crush_?”

Tony’s face reddens in embarrassment, but he still peeks up to look at Steve’s ass bouncing in his jeans when he leaves the set design warehouse.

Thing is, Tony’s a freshman, a solid year younger than most of his classmates, talented with his hands and living up to the legacy of Howard Stark, Broadway design set extraordinaire. Everywhere he goes, he hears whispers of _"That’s Tony Stark! His dad made the set design of Wicked – Natasha – Meet Me at St. Louis!”_

Indeed, they are complicated and over-the-top, but the sets also draw crowds and praise. Tony himself loves the multi-faceted set pieces that his father designed which awes the audience, and all of his classmates expect him to recreate Howard’s talent, hence why Tony’s the lead set designer for the freshman class’s winter _Hamlet_ performance. He’s confident in his ability to build sets just as amazing as his father because he’s been groomed for it. He’s grown up with paint in one hand and a saw in the other. He’s got ideas and inspiration, and he wants to wow the audience as much as his father did.

But, despite his background, Steve Rogers is one man who is definitely out of his league, especially not for a shy small first-year with too-big shoes to fill, hiding behind the curtains to create his performance while the other stands on stage in front of it, given them the show of their lifetime.

“It’s nothing,” Tony finally says, interrupting Rhodey’s ribbing and going back to his glass panel again.

-

Tony’s proud of his work as he hangs the last glass panel to the wire.

“Lift her up,” he calls to Rhodey, and the glass panels rise until it hangs from the top of the stage. The glass panels are lit individually with LED lights, creating a gradient glow from white light to clear. With the black backdrop, the clear panel will look black, and the haunting 3D words would fade into darkness.

Pepper’s lettering still amazes Tony, with the way she wrote scenes from  _Hamlet_ and then rewrote it a few millimeters up and over on the back side of the glass panel to create the 3D look. Tony steps back, sits in an audience seat, and grins. Pepper and Rhodey joins him, sitting on either side.

“That looks absolutely stunning,” Pepper praises.

Tony preens. “The concrete stairs perfectly go with it.”

Rhodey has built faux concrete stairs below that acts as the staging area for the actors. There are three large square panels on the floor, mimicking the castle floor, but then on either side of the square panels are stairs that goes up a few step, turns sharply at a right angle to go up another few steps to finally meet at the top with another large panel. The stairs could act as the castle itself with the way they are designed or as a hallway of the castle.

“I love it,” Rhodey says. “But my favorite part is the lighting.”

“You so would, considering that’s all you want to do,” Tony snarks back.

Rhodey shoulders him hard enough that Tony tips off his seat. “Yea, but _mood lighting_ , man _._ I’ll give you warm lighting for a tragic scene.”

Tony falls the rest of the way and grips his chest. He gasps, “Oh, the horror. Whatever am I gonna do when Hamlet’s about to commit suicide on a romantic note.”

The three laugh and look back at the stage. The set’s simple, but it’s still complicated enough to be impressive. Tony can’t help himself but leap to stand on the set. He looks at his friends, pull his shoulders back, and assumes position on the “floor” of the stage.

“To be or not to be,” Tony says gravely, “that is the question.”

Rhodey and Pepper laughs, clapping as Tony bows dramatically to an invisible audience.

“Definitely be,” Rhodey calls out. “You keep that up, you could be the next Steve Rogers. Did you see him in _It’s A Wonderful Life?_ A very heart-wrenching performance. I don’t think I’ve cried that hard in a performance.”

Tony blushes hard, pink dusting his cheeks, but he nods and says, “I don’t think anyone had clear eyes when the show ended. He has good chemistry with Peggy.”

“They’re childhood friends,” Pepper says.

Tony wants to know how Pepper knows that, but then again, Pepper seems to know everything about everybody. With her dad’s a musical theatre director and her mother an orchestral director, it only seems natural that Pepper’s picked up their talents for knowing everybody and everything about them too. Pepper saves him from further embarrassment, God bless her soul. “You should be proud of what you’ve accomplished for your first official set design,” she says seriously.

Tony look back at the set of stairs then above at the glass panels. He smiles. “I do love it.”

And Sam’s just as impressed when he sees the completed set. “I love your ingenuity Tony. Those LED lights you have in the panels themselves without compromising the thickness of it, and then the 3D lettering, not to mention the clever staircase design. Simple, but effective. And you did this in two weeks.”

Tony smiles. “Thank you,” he says quietly.

“You really have picked up your dad’s talent and knack for creating things that are out of the box.” Sam claps a hand on his shoulder. “Which reminds me: our big musical this year will be _Phantom of the Opera_. I’m hoping that you’d be willing to spare some time to work on set crew with us. Maybe you can do something ingenious with the chandelier.”

Tony beams brightly, forgetting to be shy at the prospects of building a set of a classic musical. “I’d love to! It would be an honor to work on it.”

With the way Sam was looking at him, it seemed as if that it would be an honor for Tony to join the set crew. Sam grins. “Awesome. I’ll see you when you come back from break!”

-

“Did you know Steve really loved your set design?” Pepper asked.

At the mention “Steve,” Tony perks up from his sketches. “Really?”

Pepper nods and sits beside him, leaning her head on his shoulder and looking at his drawings. Tony rests his cheek at the top of her head. They sit in a comforting silence before she hums. “Yeah. He asked who did the set when he saw _Hamlet_ , and Natasha told him that you did it.”

“ _Nat_ knows him?” Tony says incredulously.

Pepper nods. “Yeah. They performed in the same conservatory for years.”

“You and your girlfriend know everything, it’s kinda scary.” Tony shakes his head. “Did he ever play a tree in any of his performances or was he always lead? I bet at some point he played a puppy.”

She smirks and doesn’t answer the question. Tony bets he’s been a lead actor ever since he was a baby, not that he knows. (That’s a lie; in fact, he knows all about Steve – childhood TV model with performances in a few movies; his credentials are impressive). She says instead, “With the way he was looking at your designs, it was like he had a crush on you without even knowing you.”

Tony blushes, but he denies, “I’m just a freshman and an invisible set designer – he wouldn’t fall for me. Anyway, it seems that he and Peggy are really close. They’re really cute together.”

Pepper hums again in the way that seems like she knows something that he doesn’t. “Anyway,” Tony says, showing her the rough sketches he’s done, “I’m kind of horrified that you made half the play upside down. Horrified and in awe that you made the play performed upside down. I swear, the actors are going to pass out from all the blood’s that’s going to rush into their head.”

Pepper simply grins and kisses him on the cheek. “You love the challenge. I’m sure that you’ll figure it out.”

Tony grumbles, “I don’t even know if we even have enough rods to do all this,” but he doesn’t complain about the fact that he does indeed love the challenge.

-

While the other set crew is working on building the chandelier in preparation for the spring musical, Sam’s tasked him to improve the weight and the technical design without compromising the grandeur of it.

“What if I make the chandelier sturdy enough so that the Phantom can be on it?” Tony asks. Sam looks confused, so Tony further elaborates, “We can end the scene with Phantom being on stage with the final lights lit before the stage goes black, and it’ll create a bigger shock factor.”

Sam grins. “I think Steve will love it. If you can do it, figure out how Steve’s going to get on there from the back of the House, that will be amazing.”

So Tony’s working overtime a month before Rehearsal Day, working on inserting lighting to the chandelier, blasting _Rent_ on the speakers while he sits on stage with the gigantic chandelier and putting wiring to the prop.

“ _Take me for what I am_ ,” Tony sings at the top of his lungs, “ _Who I was meant to be_ …”

Tony, so engrossed in thinking about making the chandelier shinier (perhaps he should add LED lights to every other bead? Or maybe a glow?), he doesn’t notice that someone else has been with him until he hears, “ _I_ _t won’t work_ , _I look before I leap_ …” and he nearly jumps out of his skin.

Steve’s at the back of the house, singing Joanne’s part and coming closer, “ _Y_ _ou got a prize so don’t compromise, you’re one lucky baby…”_

Well, Tony’s not going to pushed away from his song. He stands up to face Steve as the junior approaches, both singing “ _T_ _hat’s it, the straw that breaks my back…”_

Steve is a good half foot taller than Tony when he finally stops in front of him, singing, “ _…Take me, baby, or leave me…_ ”

Steve grins down at Tony, letting the final words blast out before plunging the room into temporary silence. Just as Steve opens his mouth to speak again, the next song begins to play. Tony curses and hurries over to his phone, pausing the song mid-riff.

“Sorry,” Tony says sheepishly, “If I’d known someone else was in the theatre, I would have put on my headphones.”

But Steve shakes his head, coming closer again. “It’s not a big deal – I love _Rent_ too. Plus, it’s also always nice to have an amazing duet.”

Tony’s staring at Steve. Up close, Steve’s even more beautiful. The stage lights shine upon him, his blond hair glowing and his eyes glittering. His lips are plush, very kissable, and they’re smiling at him, revealing perfect white teeth. Finally, Steve breaks the silence and holds out his hand. “My name’s Steve.”

Tony bites his bottom lip shyly and breaks off their impromptu staring contest. He looks down at his hands which are stained with grease. He quickly wipes it off on his jeans before he looks up again and shakes his hand. “I’m Tony. Sorry, I’ve been working on the chandelier; my hands are dirty.”

Steve brushes off the concern. “Are you the Tony who created the set for _Hamlet_?” When Tony nods, Steve beams. “I love that set so much! Love your creativity and simple design with the set, and the glass panels with lights  _in_ the glass? Brilliant!”

Tony ducks his head at the praise. “Thank you,” he says shyly.

Steve smiles. “I’m really excited to see what you’re going to do with the chandelier. Sam’s told me that you’re improving its design.”

“Yea,” Tony replies, going back to the set piece sitting on stage. “I’m working on making the chandelier lighter. Did you know that the original chandelier weighed 500 pounds? I want to cut the weight by a third but maintain all the glamour of it. Plus, by the time I’m done, the chandelier should use less electricity to mechanically lift up into the house, and the lights should last for a weekend of performances before it has to be recharged. Also, I’m working on making the chandelier sturdy enough to be able to hold your weight. I’m thinking of a harness so you can zipline to the chandelier and then the chandelier drops onto stage. Either that, or perhaps a mechanical catwalk so that you can get from the back of the stage to the chandelier itself. It’ll be a fast moving platform that would extend out so that the audience wouldn’t get any hints, and the theatre would be dark…”

When Tony looks up again at Steve, Steve has the dazed look of someone who has become lost halfway through the speech. Tony blushes. “Sorry, I get carried…”

“…that’s amazing!” Steve exclaims, interrupting Tony’s apology. “Sam’s told me about your idea of wanting me to be on stage during that end scene. I think that will be a nice modification to the original version and surprise the audience. A final flash of light with my silhouette on stage before the lights go out when I’ll be on the back of the house first would be fascinating.”

“But do you know what’s equally amazing? Your voice.” Steve’s smile takes on a sultry turn. He takes another step closer, breaching Tony’s personal space.

Tony takes a step back in surprise. “Really?”

Steve nods. “You’re very talented. You should really try out for next year’s musical.”

“That…that would be nice,” Tony stutters. He looks down at his fingers, where they’re twitching in nervousness. “But I’ve never…I’ve never really been on stage before. I love doing what I do.”

“Think about it. It would be such a waste to keep you backstage when you can be both in the back and the front. I’d love to hear you again,” Steve encourages. He puts a hand on Tony’s shoulder for a brief second, the touch burning through the cloth into his skin like fire. Even when it falls away a moment later, Tony still feels the imprint, and his mind stutters. “Carry on. I look forward to seeing you around.”

Long after Steve leaves, Tony is still staring at the shut theatre doors, Steve’s retreating outline (and perfect ass) still ingrained in his mind, the electrifying touch still tingling his skin. It seems almost forever before he’s able to shake himself out of his daze and call Pepper.

“I met _Steve_ ,” Tony says as the line connects.

“You’ve met Steve,” Pepper points out. “He’s always around. He goes to school here.”

“But I _met_ the _Steve Rogers_ ,” Tony repeats, because doesn’t she get it? “He’s heard me _sing_ , oh my God, Pepper. He _talked_ to me.”

“He’s human.” Pepper’s voice is flat. “He talks to people.”

“But he’s _Steve Rogers_ ,” Tony whines. “He talks to his friends and all the professors and Nat. He doesn’t talk to regular mortals like me.”

Pepper huffs. “What do you want me to do? Steve Rogers talked to you. He’s a junior, Tony, not a god. Do you want me to give you a gold sticker?”

“He says he wants me to try out for next year’s musical.”

“Tony,” Pepper says gently, “Are you asking me if he likes you?”

“No,” Tony vehemently denies, pauses for a second, then says, “yes…maybe?”

“I don’t know for sure, since I wasn’t there—”

“—do you think I have a chance?” Tony asks desperately. “Please Pepper, humor me.”

The silence on the phone lasts so long that Tony feared that Pepper has hung up, but then she says, “I mean, what have you said so far?”

Tony hesitates. “I don’t remember,” he admits. “It all happened so fast. We sang Rent and then he introduced himself to me, and then he put a hand on my shoulder. Oh my God, Pepper, Steve’s so beautiful and I’m just a freshman, and he’s so confident and amazing, and he touched me and I’m –”

– _just me, shy and utterly ordinary_ , he doesn’t say, but he’s sure Pepper knows what he’s thinking anyway.

Pepper sighs. “I could better tell if I know what happened if I was there. But, honestly Tony, you’re an amazing person, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Steve falls for you. It’s too early to tell because you’ve just really and truly met him, so time can only tell if he likes you.”

Tony wishes he could see what she sees in him, but he appreciates the sentiment, nonetheless. He takes a deep breath. “Thanks Pep. You’re the best.”

“Damn right.”

-

After that initial meeting, it’s like Steve’s always around now (not that Tony’s actively looking. No, he really isn’t), up on stage, walking around on campus, eating lunch at the cafeteria. Every time Tony looks his way, Steve just happens to look at him too and greet him with a smile. It’s become a tradition: Steve would smile and say or mouth a “hi” to him, Tony would smile back and duck his head shyly in embarrassment for being caught staring at a legend. He’s unsure how to deal with his attention; he’s used to being behind the scenes doing the hard work and barely a passing credit – and that’s all fine with him.

But he thinks he likes this too.

Tony hangs out in the house more often than not during the evenings, watching as the actors rehearse for the _Phantom of the Opera_. He leaves his notebook open to one of his sketches, but he never does get around to actually drawing because watching Steve on stage with Peggy is a thing of beauty.

Peggy is one very lucky girl, Tony thinks, as he sees the chemistry between the two on stage. Steve takes Peggy’s hand and leads her down a journey of heaven and hell, smoke billowing out from below.

“ _Sing for me_ , _my angel_ ,” Steve demands as the Phantom, hand outstretched to Christine as Peggy belts her high notes. Steve’s voice is powerful and bone-chilling, sending shivers down Tony’s spine, a perfect match to Peggy’s crystal-clear lyrical voice. He wishes he was in Peggy’s place, being sung to by Steve. So engrossed in his thoughts on Steve, he doesn’t notice when the man himself approaches him until Steve says, “Hi Tony.”

Tony startles. Steve smiles as he stands in the row in front of where Tony’s sitting. “Hi Steve,” Tony replies, giving him a hesitant smile in return.

Steve leans over the chair, looking down at the sketchbook where it’s dangling loosely between Tony’s limp fingers. “What are you doing?”

“Set designs,” Tony says. The sketch he has open is technology-inspired, glowing hexagons filling the backdrop and more blue lines outlining the arches of the stage. It’s whimsical and Matrix-inspired. Binary numbers hang from the ceiling of the stage and the house.

Steve holds out a hand. “May I?” Tony hands the sketchbook over, and Steve flips through the pages slowly. “Wow,” he breathes, “these are so magical. And…is the stage upside down?”

Tony giggles, knowing exactly which set he’s looking at. “That’s for Pepper. Half of the play is performed upside down. I’m thinking of installing more rods to the ceiling so that the set and the actors could be hung. I’m still half-convinced the actors will pass out half-way through the play, and there’s also holding the costume up against gravity.”

“I’m sure Bucky could whip something up so that it wouldn’t be an issue. But truly, that’s amazing.” When Steve looks up again and hands back the sketchbook, he is positively glowing. “You’re so talented. Brilliant set designer and amazing singer, is there anything you can’t do?”

Tony blushes. “Well,” he says, “I can’t do makeup for my life. One brush of eyeliner becomes an utter mess.”

Steve laughs. “I don’t think anyone can do that thing, except maybe the girls. Nat and Peggy have a particular talent for that.”

“They do,” Tony agrees. He stops, then says, “You were amazing up there.”

“You think so?” Steve beams. “It’s hard to capture the essence of the Phantom. He’s so dramatic and…creepy at times.”

“Like you’re not dramatic?” Tony ribs, smiling.

Steve rears back, clutching his heart, and Tony laughs. “I take offense to that!” Steve exclaims, mock-staggering. Tony laughs delightedly, and Steve grins back.

“You just want me to compliment you.”

“Always,” Steve returns. “I need praise and standing ovations to validate my self-esteem.”

“Well,” Tony replies, “You’re always amazing. I’ve seen some of your work. I especially loved your performance in _It’s a Wonderful Life_. I just wished that I was able to see _Jane Eyre_ ; that’s one of my favorite plays.”

Steve softens. “I loved performing that, so you might just see me do that again in the future.”

“I look forward to it.”

They stop talking, and Tony can’t stop staring at Steve’s arresting eyes. His mouth goes dry and his heart pounds when Steve licks his lips, and Tony’s eyes follow the movement. Just as Steve opens his mouth to speak again, Tony’s phone rings, breaking the spark that held them together. He breaks off his gaze and digs out his phone. “Hello?” he says into the mic, mouthing a “sorry” to Steve. He turns slightly.

“Tony, where the fuck are you?” Rhodey says back. “Don’t tell me you’re gonna miss our weekly Netflix and chill.”

Tony pulls away from the phone only to gawk at the time when the screen lights up. “Shit, I’m sorry! I’m on my way. Gimme fifteen minutes?”

“Fine,” Rhodey grumbles. “But if you aren’t here when you say you’ll be, I’m going to spam your phone with messages. Lots of it.”

“I’ll kill you if you do so,” Tony replies before hanging up. Tony looks at Steve in apology. Steve’s standing up straight again, looking at him curiously. “Sorry, got a standing appointment.”

Strangely enough, Steve’s face falls for a moment, although Tony doesn’t know why. But then Steve gives him another smile so fast that Tony thinks he’s imagining things. “Alright. I’ll see you around.”

Dear God, _Steve’s perfect_ , Tony thinks as he walks out the theatre. He thinks he’s falling in love.

-

Tony’s almost done with the chandelier, and he’s playing _Phantom of the Opera_ music to get into the mood of the musical.

Steve’s in one of the green rooms reviewing his cues. Once a stranger, Steve’s now a comforting presence as Tony works overtime to finish lighting the prop. Just as usual, Tony’s happy with the work he’s done, and he switches on the lights. The prop glows and sparkles, illuminating the stage. The larger orbs glow a dim fluorescent light, but the crystal glint and shine.

“ _Say you love me, every waking moment,_ ” Tony sings, “ _Promise me that all you say is true. That’s all I ask of you._ ”

With another press of a button on his phone, the chandelier lifts up from the ground, slowly moving towards the center of the house. The chandelier casts diamond halos in the house, glowing brightly.

“ _Then say you’ll share with me one life, one lifetime,_ ” Steve answers, coming from the side of the stage. “ _Christine, that’s all I ask of you._ ”

Tony looks away from the chandelier, and they sing together, “ _Share each day with day with me, each night, each morning…_ ”

“ _Say you love me…_ ”

“… _You know I do_ ,” Steve replies.

“ _Love me, that’s all I ask of you._ ”

As the orchestral section plays, Steve stands merely a foot away from Tony. This close, Tony can never get over how pretty Steve is; it takes his breath away every time. Steve’s eyes are glowing, and his smile is soft. “ _Anywhere, you go let me go too_ …”

“Like me, that’s all I ask of you,” Steve says as the final notes play over the speakers.

Tony laughs. “Of course I like you. You’re amazing.” He collects his bag and turns off the lights of the chandelier. His work for today is done. “See you tomorrow, Steve!”

Tony looks back at Steve when he leaves the stage. Steve’s face is down, but when their eyes meet, Steve nods. Tony gives him a smile, and Steve smiles back.

Tony wonders why Steve’s eyes look so sad.

-

“Pep,” Tony nags. When Pepper doesn’t immediately reply, he pokes her. “Pep, Pep, Pepper.”

She glares at him. “What?”

 _Steve’s amazing_ , Tony wants to say, but instead “I think I’m falling in love with Steve” slips out of his mouth.

Tony covers his mouth in shock, cheeks reddening. Pepper looks at him, then she smiles. “I’m pretty sure he really likes you too. I’m surprised he hasn’t asked you out yet with all the heart-eyes he’s giving you.”

“We sang ‘All I Ask of You’ the other day,” Tony replies. “Then he goes ‘like me, that’s all I ask of you.’ But then he got all sad when I left.”

Pepper’s grin widens. “You guys are so cute. He likes you. He’s asking you out in the most awkward and adorable way possible.”

“No. He just wanted to know if I liked him. And I do.”

“Oh Tony,” Pepper sighs. “You poor and innocent child. I bet he was gathering his courage to actually ask you out.”

Tony stops for a moment, thinks about it. He gasps. “And I just _ditched_ him!”

Pepper rolls her eyes. “You guys are idiots.”

“What am I going to do?” Tony asks, mortified.

“Ask him out, duh.”

“But…” _I missed my chance_.

Pepper gives him the _look_ , the one she saves for when Tony’s an idiot. He knows that look. “Just ask him out. I promise he’ll say yes. Now, help me with the wording of this.”

-

Tony’s on the chandelier, testing his weight on it. He’s in the middle of the house, hanging midair as he does his final touches with the mechanism and preparing the catwalk for Steve. When he leans back, he catches Steve in his peripheral vision, walking across the stage.

“Steve!” Tony calls out, leaning backwards to see Steve better. He’s barely gripping onto the chandelier with the back of his knees in this position, so it takes a good portion of his concentration to keep himself on the prop without falling and cracking his head open.

Steve stops and looks around when he hears his name. He finally pinpoints Tony on the chandelier and looks at him in horror. “Oh my God! Tony, please get down from there.”

“Steve, will you go out with me?” Leaning upside-down on the chandelier is doing funny things to his brain. That is not what he intended to say. He wanted to know if Steve likes him too. But it’s out now, and he can’t take it back. Tony bites his lip, watching him upside-down with hopeful eyes.

Steve is rushing down the stage steps to get to Tony. “Tony please, at least sit up,” Steve calls out. “You’re going to fall and I don’t want you to crack your head because you were doing stupid things.”

Tony cranes his head backwards even more to keep Steve in his vision. “That’s not an answer.”

Steve sighs, standing right under Tony. “I’ll go out with you. I’ve wanted to go out with you ever since the Maureen and Joanne duet. But Tony, I don’t want you to injure yourself, so please, at least sit up or get down from there.”

“It’s fun!” Tony pouts.

“Tony, don’t give me a heart attack.” Steve looks so concerned and earnest and Tony wants to kiss those sinful lips. “Come down.”

“Okay.” Tony grips the one of the bars of the chandelier, holding it one-handed while he goes over so that he’s dangling over the edge. Steve watches with concerned eyes, hands outstretched just in case. Tony let’s go of the chandelier, and he’s falling, falling. His feet touch the aisle floor, and his knees bend to take the impact. It also strategically places himself right in front of Steve, and Steve gathers the younger boy close and leans down, capturing Tony’s lips into a kiss. It’s just as soft and as warm as Tony has imagined, and he closes his eyes, savoring the taste of it. When they finally break away, panting, Steve’s lips are slightly swollen, and his blue eyes shines under the chandelier lights.

“Hi,” Tony says shyly.

Steve gives him a soft smile. “Hello, Tony. What do you say, date after opening night?”

“Sounds perfect.”

END SCENE


End file.
